The Daily News subscribers get full access to more than13
million names and addresses along with powerful search and download features.
Get the business leads you need with powerful searches of public records and notices.
Download listings into your spreadsheet or database.

A second request for proposals to manage the Beale Street Entertainment District opens Friday, April 15, with the Beale Street Tourism Development Authority taking a second round of applications.

The authority reopened the process after reviewing four applications from the first round. Those companies can reapply, and a consultant for the authority has talked with each firm about its original application.

Somewhere near the beginning of the Thursday, March 17, meeting of the Beale Street Tourism Development Authority, Caren Nichol talked about how unique the entertainment district is because of its cultural and historical importance.

The Beale Street Tourism Development Authority has decided to reopen the process for finding a manager for the entertainment district, putting off the selection of a firm possibly until September.

In seeking new proposals by the end of June, the authority voted to keep the proposals from four companies the group has been reviewing for several months and allow those companies to amend their proposals if they wish.

The Beale Street Tourism Development Authority may be ready to pick a day-to-day manager for the entertainment district at its March 10 meeting.

But after meeting with leaders of the four companies who have formally applied for the job, members of the authority said last week they have a lot of information and are looking for some more detail before making a decision.

How was your weekend, Memphis? Here’s our weekly rundown of local happenings you need to know about, from drones and robot research to the Grizzlies’ annual MLK symposium at the National Civil Rights Museum...

The timeline is tight. But with the city of Memphis elections done, the Beale Street Tourism Development Authority is ready to move on several fronts before the end of the year to take control of the entertainment district and hire a day-to-day property manager.

The Beale Street Tourism Development Authority is looking at a narrow three-month window to get its lease agreement with City Hall signed and, in effect, begin its work for the city and hire some kind of day-to-day manager for the entertainment district.

The newly appointed Beale Street Tourism Development Authority wants to talk to Memphis City Council members about a fee simple arrangement for how it would govern the entertainment district for the city.

Jeff Sanford has spent much of the past five years consulting on redevelopment projects in other cities.

But Sanford – who stepped down from his post as president of the Center City Commission, now the Downtown Memphis Commission, in 2010 – hasn’t found another entertainment district comparable to Memphis’ most famous street.

The diverse crowd that typically gathers for South Main Historic Arts District Trolley Night – from hipsters in skinny jeans to residents who enjoy the monthly celebration of their neighborhood to others drawn to see what the fuss is all about – featured several hundred ghastly additions in May.

The history of the South Main Historic Arts District is as colorful as its present-day users, an alternating rhythm of sorts in Memphis’ songbook.

The area has oscillated from its ritzy suburban roots of the 1800s to the industrial era ghost town of the 20th century and now to its current status as Downtown’s flourishing arts and boutique district and the subject of some $100 million in investment. And it’s all due to stakeholders who braved the status quo in distinguishing the southern end of the Central Business District as that funky place with an indescribable vibe.

The Memphis Regional Design Center board of directors has decided on a new organizational path in order to build additional program capacity to serve and respond to evolving community needs.

Jeff Sanford, of Jeff Sanford Consulting and former president of the Center City Commission, has been named as the new interim leader to oversee the structural and administrative changes needed to position the center to: improve responsiveness to distinctive community needs; stabilize organizational resources; cultivate long-lasting and sustainable partnerships; and increase positive economic and social impact through quality design projects and programs.

The Memphis Regional Design Center board of directors has decided on a new organizational path in order to build additional program capacity to serve and respond to evolving community needs.

Jeff Sanford, of Jeff Sanford Consulting and former president of the Center City Commission, has been named as the new interim leader to oversee the structural and administrative changes needed to position the center to: improve responsiveness to distinctive community needs; stabilize organizational resources; cultivate long-lasting and sustainable partnerships; and increase positive economic and social impact through quality design projects and programs.

For at least a year, a box containing copies of a report on the future of Beale Street has been in storage awaiting a settlement of the two levels of court disputes for control of the entertainment district.

Among the actions A C Wharton Jr. took after his election as mayor of Memphis in October 2009 was adding then-Martin, Tate, Morrow & Marston PC attorney Paul Morris to a transition team already packed with movers and shakers.

Debra Czestochowski has joined Levitt Shell as the organization’s first development director.

Hometown: Macomb, Ill.Education: B.A. in English, University of IllinoisWork experience: More than 30 years advancing nonprofit organizations in higher education and the performing arts, including a decade with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra before joining the Levitt Shell staff.Family: My husband, Joseph, heads International Arts Inc., based in Chicago and Memphis. Our son, Stefan, is a professional musician preparing for medical school. He lives in Chicago.Favorite quote: “A good idea doesn’t care where it came from.” From Jeff Sanford, wise Memphian and fellow Midwesterner.Who has had the greatest influence on you? My Grandpa Kindred, who raised his siblings and built a farm for his family and was the kindest man I have known. No one could have had a more perfect surname.What drew you to the Levitt Shell? The irresistible opportunity to join those who have regenerated a Memphis treasure in order to build community and diversity through free music and education.What do you consider your greatest professional accomplishments? Reaching fundraising goals is deeply satisfying, but it is most significant to me to achieve those goals via servant leadership, which focuses on facilitating the progress of others. I thank Leadership Memphis for acquainting me with the literature in this field.What do you most enjoy about your work? I enjoy the creativity and commitment of those around me – staff, board and volunteers. I enjoy the expressions on the faces of those who gather for each concert. I enjoy seeing families together, children dancing and musicians absorbing the energy of the experience as they perform. An evening at the Levitt Shell is joyful. It is what this world should be.

The first residents who begin moving into Barboro Flats’ 92 apartments Thursday will find a host of amenities and urban comforts waiting for them inside the brand new five-story building at 100 South Main.

Jeff Sanford will make his final monthly report to the Center City Commission board of directors Thursday as president and CEO of the Downtown agency, which attorney Paul Morris will take the helm of next week.

Center City Commission board members used a host of adjectives to describe Martin, Tate, Morrow & Marston PC attorney Paul Morris before naming him the Downtown agency’s new president and CEO Friday morning.

A field of more than 80 candidates who applied for the job of Center City Commission president and CEO has been winnowed down to three finalists.

After an intensive session of interviews with a short list of seven candidates, the CCC’s executive search committee is bringing back three for one last round of interviews with Downtown stakeholders, CCC board members and staff.

The HF Law Group PLLC became the most recent business to announce its move from the central business district Downtown to the eastern part of Shelby County, when it announced last week its relocation to 3257 Sarazen’s Circle.

On tap at today’s Center City Commission board of directors meeting is a likely decision by the board on an executive search firm that will be tasked with finding a replacement for Jeff Sanford, the CCC’s soon-to-be-departing president.

The Memphis chapter of the American Institute of Architects is joining a growing list of institutions with plans to relocate or expand Downtown.

AIA-Memphis at the end of March is leaving the temporary Midtown space it shares with Memphis Heritage Inc. to move into a storefront in Downtown’s South Main Historic Arts District. The new digs will put the chapter in a bustling retail and commercial corridor where it hopes to grab a piece of the area’s foot traffic.

After 12 years with the organization, Jeff Sanford is stepping down from his position as president of the Center City Commission, the group that encourages and supports Downtown development. His resignation will be effective July 1.

A couple of years ago, when Clay Thompson of Memphis decided it was time to stop renting, he set his sights on the Downtown condominium market. He was especially interested in the old warehouses in the South Main Historic Arts District that had been converted to condos.

You don’t have to wait until darkness falls to walk into a juke joint, especially when the fragrance of green tomatoes frying can be smelled around lunch time at the Ground Zero Blues Club.

Natosha Huffstickler, the managing partner at the Memphis restaurant founded by actor Morgan Freeman, believes everybody needs a daily blues blast and soul food nourishing. So why wait for the weekend?

Christian Brothers University will present the fourth session of its Family Business Enrichment Series today from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in the Spain Auditorium in Buckman Hall. The topic of the lecture is “Integrating Closely Held Businesses Into Personal Financial and Investment Strategies.” For reservations, call 321-3999 or e-mail rsvp@cbu.edu.

New and existing retail businesses Downtown, as well as office tenants who need to make physical improvements, stand to benefit from changes the Center City Commission has made to its grab bag of financial incentives.

There may be cars once again on the stretch of Main Street between Exchange Avenue and Peabody Place. But now is not the time, according to a Center City Commission task force on the future of the Main Street Mall.

It took a tax break from the Center City Revenue Finance Corp. to get the project going, but construction of Grand Island, a $19 million, 204-unit apartment complex slated for Mud Island, got the green light this week and will commence in November.

NEW YORK (AP) - Uncertainty over the final scope of the $800 billion-plus economic stimulus plan in Congress has delayed budget action in some states while governors and legislators wait to see how much federal relief they can expect for their cash-strapped programs.

The Center City Development Corp. board of directors today will discuss a variety of items including a monthly financial report, loan closing analysis and various topics related to development loans the group routinely makes available.

The area surrounding North Main Street and Jefferson Avenue just got busier as construction finally started on the eight-story, 131-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel at the intersection’s southwest corner, on the edge of historic Court Square.

The owners of the 3-year-old bistro LoLo’s Table at 128 Monroe Ave. decided their restaurant can’t survive, a decision hastened by the broader slowdown in the economy. The last day of business was Saturday, after which the restaurant joined other Downtown businesses that have closed this year, including Muvico, Pat O’Brien’s and EP Delta Kitchen and Bar.

The “Work Downtown, Live Downtown” promotion kicks off this week for the company’s RiverTown on the Island condominiums, providing a variety of incentives to any Downtown worker who buys a home there.

The first phase of RiverTown – on Mud Island just south of HarborTown – was recently completed. Its four buildings contain 39 units, which range from 1,200 to 3,200 square feet and in price from $199,000 to $650,000.

The company spent the past several months doing the standard billboard, radio and print marketing campaign for the development’s condos, selling 12 homes in the process. Now it hopes to jumpstart condo sales activity with this latest promotion.

Grant & Co. president Keith Grant said the company will target Downtown’s largest employers – such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Morgan Keegan & Co., Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, AutoZone and First Tennessee.

Grant figures the Downtown work force must include a huge untapped market of people interested in living closer to their offices.

“There’s 70,000 people that work Downtown and there’s only (27,000) that live Downtown,” he said. “This is an incentive designed specifically for Downtown businesses.”

Touting the perks

The promotion will revolve around “white glove” tours starting Sept. 6 and held each weekend next month to showcase the homes and tout the benefits of living Downtown for those who already work there.

First of all, Grant said the company hopes to single out the convenience factor.

“Rather than fight the traffic, why not live in an area like the Island, where you can relax in the afternoons looking off your balcony at the Mississippi River and not have to worry about driving 30 minutes home,” he said. “You can drive five minutes home, or walk home or take the trolley home.”

Next comes the amenities on and near Mud Island, which have been enhanced in the past few years with numerous shops and services within the HarborTown development and in neighboring Uptown.

“When HarborTown first started, it started kind of slow just because they didn’t have those kinds of amenities – you didn’t have a grocery store to go to, there wasn’t a gas station, there weren’t any schools at the time, no restaurants to speak of,” Grant said. “So, it’s definitely made it a lot nicer to live on the island now that you have all that on that end of Downtown.”

Grant & Co. will offer buyers one of three incentive packages valued at $3,000 each: an appliance package that includes a refrigerator and washer/dryer; an entertainment package that includes a plasma screen TV; and a decorator package that includes a choice of multiple wall colors and blinds.

‘Building the market’

Getting people to move Downtown has proven more difficult this year. Residential sales in Downtown’s 38103 ZIP code declined 32.7 percent in the first seven months of 2008 compared to the same period last year.

Just 224 homes sold from January through July this year, down from 333 in 2007, according to the latest data from Chandler Reports, www.chandlerreports.com.

Downtown’s condo market, though still the most robust in Shelby County, decreased 33.9 percent through the end July; the year has seen 125 condo sales Downtown compared with 189 in the same period of 2007.

Condo sales Downtown did increase in July from the previous month and the same month a year ago, a positive note in the eyes of Jeff Sanford, president of the Center City Commission.

“No question, the housing market has slowed, but I would suggest that Downtown has fared better than other parts of the community,” Sanford said. “One, apartment occupancy rates have held over 90 percent. Secondly, the number of condos being sold Downtown – while short of what they were in comparable periods two and three years ago – nonetheless are showing strength. These are not the best of times, but Downtown is more than holding its own.”

How much it continues to hold its own remains to be seen. While Grant & Co. harbors long-term plans for RiverTown of bringing 200 homes to the site, that is on hold until sales of existing units pick up.

Grant said he hopes the latest promotion brings the needed spark.

“One of the reasons we developed it the way we did with multiple buildings was so we could continue at a pace that fits the market,” Grant said. “Some people have to put up a building with 50 or more units in it, then what happens is you encounter a slower market like we’re in now and you slash prices to move property. In our situation, we’re building to the market. We’ll start new buildings as we sell the homes that we have now.”

The housing market is continuing to leave its fingerprints on already-stretched balance sheets in the Tennessee statehouse as well as on those of municipal agencies and government boards closer to home in Memphis.

The Memphis Center City Revenue Finance Corp. board recently approved a $2.2 million deed of trust for Pontotoc Place LLC for its multifamily property at 291 E. Pontotoc Place, at the intersection of South Third Street and Pontotoc Place. The property is due south of FedExForum.

The Houston-based redeveloper of a Downtown high rise has become frustrated with the soft real estate market and will place 44 unsold condominiums on the auction block.

On June 21 at 11 a.m., McCord Development Inc. will try to sell its remaining condominiums in the 152-unit River Tower at South Bluffs at a public auction. The first 10 will be sold absolute, which means they will be sold to the highest bidder regardless of price. Starting bids on the rest of the units will be based on the prices of those first 10.

Bartlett and Downtown Memphis are separated by about 15 miles, what could be perceived as a political and cultural divide and different economic centers of gravity.

All of which are reasons why the millions of dollars pumped into the Downtown economy over at least the past decade by Bank of Bartlett, which was established in the small town of the same name in 1980, might be easy to overlook. But those reasons also put into context the bank’s consistent and generous investment in Downtown projects of all stripes.

The vacant, six-story office building at 195 Madison Ave. ought to have a "Your masterpiece here" sign hanging on one side.

The eastern and southern faces of that building, which stands next to leftfield of AutoZone Park, soon will be decorated with murals several stories tall that depict an artist's interpretation of life in Memphis, the city's history and its culture.

The Center City Commission has approved the hiring of two security guards to help curb aggressive panhandling Downtown.

On a unanimous voice vote, 17 board members of the Downtown development body approved a $53,340 contract with CDA Security for a three month patrol starting in April in the Main Street area between Poplar Avenue and Beale Street.

When the Center City Commission decided recently to create a new position - chief administrative officer - the group ventured outside its own ranks in tapping the new hire. Eric Robertson, who stepped into the role Jan. 14, had spent almost the past decade in a similar job elsewhere in the city and was already an enthusiastic booster of Downtown Memphis.

Two employees at Muvico Entertainment LLC in the Peabody Place Retail and Entertainment Center shot a glance at each other when they were approached Friday and asked about the theater's imminent closure.

With recent announcements of plans to rehab two historic properties, two development teams have signed on to give Downtown something it's been thirsting for - apartments.

Development groups called 91 Cotton Row LLC and Downtown Developers LLC have joined a growing list of groups bringing multifamily product to a submarket that many believe is oversaturated with condominiums and underserved by apartments.

Its 28-room hotel opened in late October and its two restaurants opened last week. Now, the River Inn of Harbor Town is poised to become one of Downtown's premier destinations for business and leisure travelers - and also for Memphians looking for a quick getaway or gourmet meal.

Three years after the first construction crews arrived in Uptown to move dirt and lay the foundations for a few hundred homes, the end is finally in sight for the revitalization of this once-blighted neighborhood.

During the past two decades Collierville has evolved from sleepy suburb to thriving town. Thanks to an upscale mall, an extended highway and, most notably, an eastward population shift in Shelby County, this town of more than 40,000 residents has become one of Tennessee's fastest-growing communities.

The Memphis City Council gave its stamp of approval at a public vote in October. By January, businessman Gene Carlisle had locked his sales, design and marketing teams in place.

Then, at a press conference in April, Carlisle - wearing a dark suit, blue tie and a big smile - stood in front of a series of high-quality renderings mounted on easels to make his next big announcement. One Beale, his $175 million, skyline-redefining Downtown project being developed at the foot of Beale Street, would be anchored by the 240-room Hyatt Regency Memphis Hotel and Spa.

The owners of the one-room coffee bar and café across the street from Memphis City Hall have heard that mayor Willie Herenton is a fan of their fresh-baked muffins.

They assume the mayor sends someone to fetch him a batch, because they haven't seen much of him. Yet he's one example of the loyal customer base The Daily Grind bistro has cultivated during its six-year run, which comes to an end Friday.

Hurricane Katrina forced Verlyn and Harold Foley to leave their New Orleans home in 2005 and move to the Atlanta area.

But when the city of Memphis tried to file eminent domain rights on an Uptown property the husband and wife were eyeing for a multifamily building, this real estate development duo decided to stand their ground and fight.

Inside Downtown will meet today at 4:30 p.m. at Wang's Bistro, 113 S. Main St. Center City Commission president Jeff Sanford will discuss the transformation of that section of Main Street and new projects in the works. RSVP by calling 575-0542 or e-mailing hernandez@downtownmemphis.com.

The Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South is hosting Talk Shoppe today from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at its offices, 3693 Tyndale Drive. The topic is "Negotiating to Fruition: Winning the Right Way." The guest speaker is Daren Howard, managing partner in the Mid-South for Jerry Wilson & Associates LLC. For more information, call Jo Garner at 759-7808.

One indicator of how successful the Center City Commission (CCC) has been in its 30-year run as the prime driver of growth in Downtown Memphis is a hefty price tag.

That price tag is $395,058, which represents the average price per acre of vacant land that was sold in Downtown's 38103 ZIP code from March 2006 through February 2007, according to real estate information company Chandler Reports, www.chandlerreports.com. During the same period one year earlier, the average price was $293,744. A year before that, an acre of vacant land went for an average price of $148,466.

As construction of Downtown condominiums continues to surge - and availability of Downtown apartments remains scarce - the idea that unsold condos could be converted into apartments has crossed a few minds.

Developer James Rasberry wants to turn North Main into more than just a street.

Rasberry - who's created upscale condominiums in the Cooper-Young area, developed scores of Downtownspaces, renovated, converted and built from the ground up many others - is part of a development team that's bringing new townhouses to a previously forlorn stretch of the Uptown neighborhood.

The San Francisco company that launched the concept of boutique hotels in the 1980s wants to build one on a prime site that's up for grabs Downtown.

Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, which has a portfolio that currently includes 42 hotels in 12 states and in Canada, is working with a local development team, one of four vying for a crack at developing the site at 100 S. Main St.